


The Avatars are in Primary Two

by SoulQueen



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Teacher Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:34:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25134697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulQueen/pseuds/SoulQueen
Summary: One year after the Scottish Honeymoon, Jon is finally qualified to be a teacher. Of course, he needed to do a year of postgraduate getting his PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) and student teaching because well...it has been a long while since uni, technically and mentally. But he's ready to get back into his old passion now that the drive to understand the supernatural is long gone. There's just one problem. Fourteen of his students are avatars.
Relationships: Jonmartin - Relationship
Comments: 9
Kudos: 94





	1. The New Teacher

**Author's Note:**

> Some of Jon's outfits described in this will be from the art work from @cerulean-devil's Jon Sims outfits on tumblr that they've kindly let me use. Go check it out at https://cerulean-devil.tumblr.com/post/621019210297098240/some-different-looks-for-our-dear-archivist  
> Enjoy and let me know what you think. I know next to nothing about the Scottish education system so if you do, let me know.

Janet Erwin was on the PTA, so she was one of the first to know when Mrs. Lewis, the old Primary 2 teacher had quite suddenly left the village, which was odd seeing as she had never left the village before, not as long as anyone of the parents could remember. And Janet had had her for Primary 2 back when there were _two_ Primary 2 teachers. Now there really were only twenty-five Primary 2 students and the old one had left when she’d been in Lower Secondary.

Of course, Janet told all her friends about old Mrs. Lewis leaving and they told their spouses who discussed it in the pub until it went round the village and by then the long weekend was over and the headmistress really ought to be finding a new teacher for them. A good week was spent shuffling the children around wherever seats were available. Tuesday, she remembered Ann telling her that she spent the day coloring in a P3 class and Janet was one of the volunteer parents on Wednesday which amounted to them trying to teach them their multiplications and ended with a movie. On Thursday they had been sent to a safety seminar with the P6 classes and Fiona Grant had to pull her boy Logan out due to, well…the Primary 2s weren’t ready for that kind of seminar anyhow. By Friday Mrs. Gibson was at her wits end trying to find a replacement on such short notice and Sunday night she called all the parents of the P2 class asking them to come in Monday morning to meet the new teacher.

Which was how Janet sat here no in the circle of other parents, staring at this weathered young man who walked in like he felt he was very important but looked furtively around the room, not so much at anyone, not even the children, like he was prepared to bolt at any moment. And Janet knew she had seen him before, somewhere. While Mrs. Gibson made her introductions and assurances he sat on the edge of his seat, legs crossed at the ankles, smoothing down his black shirtdress. _How could I forget where I’ve seen him?_ she thought. It wasn’t like he wasn’t memorable with his myriad of scars and rather handsome grey streaked hair. She glanced at the other parents to see what they thought about him. They were trying to be very discreet, looking from him to their children who watched him with some fascination and dismay, as if they were hoping to get an alien or a wizard for a teacher. She knew for a fact that that’s what Ann wanted.

It came back to her when he stood. She’d seen him once last year at the grocer’s at remembered thinking his sweater was too big for him, like someone had tried to swaddle a raven. It was actually quite relieving to know it had just been a chance encounter and not a face she remembered from the news.

“I’m Jonathan Sims,” he said, “Though I suppose Mr. Sims will do.”

He was undeniably British.

“I haven’t been teaching for very long but I will do my best to fulfill the role of my predecessor and get the year back on track. Does anyone have any questions?”

Sarah Baldwin raised her hand and Janet could swear she felt Mr. Baldwin brace for impact.

“Why do you talk like that,” she asked.

“I’m from London.”

“Where’d you get your scars?”

“Also, from London,” he said with a little smirk.

Sarah glared at him and dropped her hand, blowing hair from her face with a huff.

Ann’s hand shot up and now it was Janet’s turn to brace herself. “Have you ever been to space?”

“No. I’m not really qualified for that.”

“Do you think _I_ could go to space?”

“One day, maybe.”

She grinned, looking over at Janet as if to say, ‘ _See_?’

Janet just nodded and Mrs. Gibson said it was about time they started class.


	2. Problems on the Playground Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a set of eyes watching the playground, now there are two.

Jon was sure this was some cosmic joke. He hoped he was just overreacting. Of course, the Eye found his worry funny which at least meant he was feeding it off of himself and old statement rather than his students. His students…eleven of them were perfectly fine children, sure, not normal, but he never really had a great grasp of that anyways, but they certainly weren’t mini avatars.

But they were children and he felt confident enough he could steer them away from doing anything wrong. If Simon Fairchild could feed his god by jumping out of cable cars then Jon could feed his by conflict resolution.

Ms. Sarah Hamilton would spend her recesses at the top of the jungle gym, watching her peers play their little games that she was tired of and listen to stories she knew were lies. She was perfectly fine watching them, though she wished on occasion that they did something different. Like, for example, sometimes she wondered what would happen if Tommy Herd flew the swings and when she did, she would turn to them and wait, reminding herself that she would be mortified if she missed it _again_.

Tommy Herd loved the swings, everyone knew they were his and he only let one other person play on them. His brother Timmy. Timmy was terrified of height and swinging but Tommy always said “But you’re the one moving it,” which made it his own fault if he got too scared. Most of the time, Tommy was content to swing as high as he could, until he could reach the clouds. Their old teacher, Mrs. Lewis, always scolded him for swinging too high. Said he’d fly off again. She didn’t understand that that was the point. Now there was a new teacher and he wasn’t looking anyways. So, as Tommy flew up, he let go and for a brief moment, he soared…and then he remembered the ground. The new teacher, Mr. Sims had run over and just managed to catch him, looking panicked. “ ** _Thomas you know you are not supposed to do that_** ,” he said in a voice like static. “ ** _Why don’t you let someone else play on the swings for a bit? How about you use the merry go round?_** ”

He blew a raspberry.

“Seesaw? **_Timo_** —Timmy?”

Timmy nodded meekly looking very relieved and very frightened at the same time. He walked over to the seesaws and waited. Tommy huffed and stomped after him. Jon waited until they had gone up and down seven times before assuring the other kids that yes, the swings were fine, and yes, he’d be watching out if anyone got scared. He pointed up at Sarah and said “Sarah will let me know if I miss anything.”

Sarah stuck her tongue at him, but kept watching the swings.

Bri Irving had ‘borrowed’ a magnifying glass from their father and was currently taking immense delight in burning the ants with it, edged on by their friends Owen and Brody. Jon walked over, crouched down beside them and said, “That’s not very nice.”

“Neither is startling people,” said Bri, dropping the tool and breaking the line further. Jon was reminded of Michael’s _explanation_.

“Would you mind if I held onto that until your father comes to get you?” He held out his hand.

“Yes.”

“It’s just that I’m sure he’d like to know you did the responsible thing when you found you had it and kept it somewhere safe. And the grass is dryer over here, we wouldn’t want to start a fire. Besides, the ants do not like it and I don’t think your peers do either.”

“Peers?”

“Your classmates.”

“Oh.” They looked down at the magnifying glass and the ants desperately trying to find a way out and then looked around for whoever was watching them. It had to be Laura. They couldn’t see her but she was always bothering them when they played with the ants. They sighed, “You aren’t going to move my star, are you?”

“Going to stay out of trouble?”

They shrugged.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

Grinning, they picked up the magnifying glass, shook the ants free, and handed it to Mr. Sims.

“Thank you. Enjoy the rest of recess and no more burning things.”

“Ever?”

“You’ll learn to cook eventually. So, for now, how about just not in school, hm?”

They rocked on their heels, “What about in science?”

“You’re not old enough to use the Bunsen burners. Isn’t there something else you’d like to do during recess?”

“Can I get a book, I’ll come right back.”

Jon nodded, “Brody, please go with them.”

All three children ran off and Mr. Sims sighed.

He pocketed the magnifying glass and went over to check on Laura.

“Are you alright Ms. Kelman?”

She was up in the maple tree feeding a caterpillar. A nasty, fuzzy little thing, white with black spots. “They shouldn’t be mean to the ants. I told them if they did the ants would fight back.”

“Oh, and how would they do that?”

“I’ve got an ants’ nest.”

He nodded, “Well, I’ll do my best to keep them from burning the ants.”

“And I can do my plan if it doesn’t work?” she said innocently, as if Mrs. Lewis hadn’t given her this ultimatum before which had resulted in the beehive that had formally been in the maple tree falling on a groundskeeper. Mrs. Lewis was always nice to Laura after that.

“Perhaps we can try a different method?”

“Like?”

“I’ll let you know when I think of one, is that okay?”

She shrugged, setting down a currant in front the caterpillar. “This one is nothing like the book.”

“I know.”

Mr. Sims has never read _The Very Hungry Caterpillar_. Mr. Sims can recite it by heart. Sarah is still watching the swings, Joey and Molly are gripping the chains tightly and if Mr. Sims hasn’t noticed yet then she would not tell him.

Edwin Connor was burying Lucy McDowell’s favorite doll in the sandbox. She was on the brink of tears. Mr. Sims sighs and Sarah does not interfere.

He strode over to the sandbox and asked Edwin to take a walk with him, which he did, he didn’t want to, but he always listened to the teachers. They said nothing while Mr. Sims politely asked Tommy if he would like to go inside.

“No.”

“Then will you stop?”

“Can I go back on the swings?”

“Not today.”

“Then no.”

“Timmy, would _you_ like to go inside? You can get a book if you’d like.”

Tommy glared at Timmy which widened into anger and betrayal as he nodded.

“You can read about space, they never hit the ground,” said Timmy.

Tommy scoffed, “Yes they _do_.”

“Well you can pretend they don’t.”

Jon kept a straight face, Edwin laughed.

“I think I would like to get a book, please, Mr. Sims,” said Tommy, cheeks red, shooting Edwin a glare.

“Alright.”

Sarah sighed as Joey and Molly hopped off the swings and ran over to Mr. Sims.

“Sorry for taking so long. It’s okay,” he assured.

Sarah was pretty sure she was getting her star moved.


End file.
